New Here From Texas

[Paul_J]

Hey guys, my name is Paul and I am a native Houstonian. I have been building cars for about 29 years, most of that time as a hobby. I spent about 12 years in the machine shop, body shop and Street Rod industries. I bracket raced for a few years with a '69 Chevelle SS, A '67 Camaro, one 55 Chevy and many Chevy trucks. I ventured into the world of air cooled VWs for about 10 years and enjoyed their simplicity but eventually got the desire to do something different. Being a father of three, money for projects is scarce so I built what I had. I had a '54 VW body so I stepped way outside the norm and built a rectangular tube chassis using an Audi A4 5 speed transaxle and a twin cam 4 banger. The engine sits midship with S-10 4x4 front spindles for the rear uprights and will have a narrowed MII style front suspension. The plan is to run 17" and 18" wheels front and back respectively. It's not a muscle car or domestic but it's what I have and I hope the attitude is right. Anyone wanting to donate an LS1 for the project is welcome!

[Chad-1stGen]

I don't like the older bugs but your project sounds sweet. Way to start off your first post right with some nice progress pics too.

I think most people on this site just love cool cars no matter their origin so you should fit right in.

You making this thing a cruiser or something to play with on track days or?

[Paul_J]

Thanks for the welcome. The intent is for it to be a driver but I would like to participate in some type of track events. The whole idea was performance so I guess at some point I need to see if I've accomplished that goal. I have been looking for the right "Home" on the internet for a while. I post on other boards but they are either too "purist" and cringe at the thought of a water cooled engine or they are too traditional and cringe at the thought of Billet and big wheels. Don't get me wrong, I've met a lot of nice folks but it's not easy being the Lone Ranger. (Not that that will be any different here! lol) I am a Chevy guy at heart, always have been but more than that I'm a fan of the internal combustion engine. I have gravitated toward this style when the trend first started but was just a spectator until I could get my self back in a position to build again. I stayed up way too late last night lurking on the site and there is a wealth of information that fits what I am trying to accomplish. I'll help out when I can but mostly stay out of the way. BTW, I love the '68!

[Young Gun]

welcome from another houstonian! the project looks great! regardless of what you are building, as long as you have pictures posted you will make plenty of people happy! sounds like a great build! keep us posted with plenty of pictures!